St Rumon's Church of England Infants School

Inspection of St Rumon’s Church of England (VC) Infants School Dolvin Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 9EA

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Inspection dates: 30 November and 1 December 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the education act

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected St Rumon’s Church of England (VC) Infants School as an academy school under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 30 November and 1 December 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The values of ‘joy, love, respect, forgiveness, perseverance and truthfulness’ are clear in all that pupils of St Rumon’s do. Pupils understand these values. They can relate them to their lives and their time in school. Staff model the values in the secure and nurturing relationships they have with pupils. Parents agree that staff support pupils well. Many comment on how staff go above and beyond to help their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff model the high expectations they have of pupils’ attitudes to learning and how they treat each other. Pupils meet these high expectations most of the time. Some say there are times when their peers find this a challenge, but staff manage this successfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what bullying is and say that it can happen. However, they have confidence in how well staff deal with this. Pupils trust staff to take care of them. As a result, pupils feel safe and enjoy school. They talk about the many wider experiences with great enthusiasm. The after-school clubs, school council and opportunities to perform are aspects they value.

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better?

The relationship between the relatively new leadership team and the trust is working successfully to refine the curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders deliver training that strengthens staff’s subject knowledge. They provide coaching for staff that improves the delivery of the curriculum. However, some of these developments are in their infancy. Leaders do not yet have a fully accurate overview of how the decisions and actions they have taken impact on pupils’ learning. In some subjects, pupils’ learning is not being developed as well as it could be.

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better?

Children in the early years have a strong start to their education. They learn phonics right from the start. Leaders make sure staff training helps them to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Books are matched to sounds pupils know. Pupils use the strategies they learn to accurately break words down into the individual sounds. When pupils fall behind, staff identify and provide what further help they need. Pupils enjoy reading. They have plentiful opportunities to listen to adults read to them and read books for pleasure.

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better?

In Reception, children develop their early mathematics knowledge well. This includes learning about number as well as shape and time. The early years curriculum is well sequenced. Activities that increase pupils’ physical, social and emotional development, in addition to mathematics and communication and language, are evident in the learning set out for the children. Children know the routines and persevere with their learning. Adults ask purposeful questions and promote 30 November and 1 December 2022

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interactions that encourage children to be curious. This helps to deepen their learning. Leaders have adapted the curriculum in key stage 1 to build on early years learning. In particular, the focus has been to address any gaps in knowledge and pupils’ social and emotional development. The ‘discovery curriculum’ allows pupils opportunities to secure their knowledge so that they build new learning successfully.

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Relationships are central to all the school does. Leaders have made sure that staff are fully aware of the importance of relationships to model high expectations. As a result, the school is a calm and purposeful place to learn. Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and on the playground. They support each other in their learning and in their play.

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Leaders know the importance of pupils’ wider development. They focus on developing pupils’ spirituality very well. There are a range of different ways in which pupils are encouraged to be reflective. They have different quiet and calm spaces to support this. Staff promote awe and wonder in the world around them. This helps pupils become self-aware and confident. Staff enhance this by encouraging pupils’ involvement in the local community. Pupils increase their resilience and awareness of diversity through opportunities such as performing at the stroke club and participating in the carnival. In addition, pupils gain an age-appropriate understanding of the wider world through well-chosen themes and texts in the curriculum. Consequently, they are respectful and tolerant of others.

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Those responsible for governance know the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are considerate of staff well-being and workload. Staff feel appreciated and dedicate themselves to getting the best from pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a whole-school priority. Staff know the pupils and their families well. They know the importance of being alert to any concerns so that support can be given as early as possible. Leaders make sure that staff are vigilant through regular and up-to-date training.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and talk with confidence about keeping healthy and about road safety. The trust takes the lead in managing the recruitment of staff. They work with the appropriate school staff to make sure that all adults who work in school are safe to do so.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders use assessment and feedback to improve and strengthen the curriculum. The development of some subjects is further along than others. Leaders have not 30 November and 1 December 2022

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had the opportunity to check the full impact of their actions and decisions. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders need to monitor the curriculum with greater precision in order to accurately evaluate the impact made and ensure consistency for all pupils so that they learn and remember more.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 30 November and 1 December 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10256650 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Rumon’s Church of England (VC) Infants School converted to become an academy school in July 2015. When its predecessor school, St Rumon’s Church of England (VC) Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is part of the St Christopher’s Multi-Academy Trust.  The school is part of the Tavistock Church Schools Federation, along with St Peter’s Church of England (VA) Junior School.  The school is a smaller-than-average, three-class infant school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary-controlled Church of England school. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in February 2020.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 30 November and 1 December 2022

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher (who is also the special educational needs coordinator), subject leaders from the school and the federation, and members of the governing body. In addition, an inspector met with the chief executive officer and school improvement lead from the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 read to an adult.  Inspectors met the designated safeguarding leads, checked the single central

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record of adults working in the school and looked at safeguarding records.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around school and at breaktimes and held discussions with leaders about pupils’ wider development.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to parents before school. They also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Craig Hayes Ofsted Inspector 30 November and 1 December 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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